Tory members 'want Theresa May to quit by Christmas' as David Davis eyed as possible successor

David Davis. Carl Court / Getty Grassroots members of the Conservative Party have called for Theresa May to quit by Christmas as dissenters eye David Davis as a possible replacement for the Prime Minister.

A survey seen by The Observer found the majority of Tory members either could not choose a successor to Ms May, supporting the belief of many commentators that a relative unknown could step out of the party's shadows to become leader.

The majority of those surveyed do not want Ms May to stand down, with just 22 per cent calling on her to quit and 71 per cent saying she should stay on as leader, fearful of the possibility of a general election.

But the Sunday Telegraph reported that "leading voices" among Tory activists fear the Prime Minister will be unable to recover her authority following the general election, weakening the UK's position in Brexit negotiations.

A cabinet minister's local party chairman called for Ms May to step down as leader by Christmas, the paper reported, while others hoped she would spend her summer break planning a transition that would not require another damaging leadership race.

Mr Davis has emerged as the favoured candidate to replace the weakened Prime Minister among grassroots Conservatives, according to a separate survey of 1,000 party members, although backing for the Brexit Secretary was hardly unanimous, with just over a fifth of those asked preferring him, ahead of Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.

The survey, carried out by the Party Members' Project, comes as Parliament stands down for the summer but with bitter party infighting and behind-the-scenes plotting expected to continue over the recess.

It found 21 per cent of members backed Mr Davis, 17 per cent preferred Mr Johnson, while the third choice was backbencher Jacob Rees-Mogg, who has something of a cult following, but was backed by just 6 per cent of those surveyed.

A quarter of respondents said they did not know or could not say who the next leader would be.

More than 30 other names mentioned as possible successors, suggesting a fresh face could eventually emerge rather than one of the high-profile members of the Cabinet.

The stance of all potential Tory leaders on Brexit remains a crucial factor both with members and MPs, with the clock ticking on the UK's exit from the EU, but the survey did not bode well for candidates favouring a "soft" Brexit who previously backed Remain.

Chancellor Phillip Hammond was the choice of just five per cent of the members, while Home Secretary Amber Rudd was preferred by just four per cent.

Nor did some of the leading Brexiteers fare well, with International Trade Secretary Liam Fox backed by just 1 per cent of members and last year's deposed contender Andrea Leadsom supported by even less.

Some Tory MPs are still worried a leadership challenge could be mounted by the time they return to the Commons in September - with the potential to spark another general election, which they fear they could lose to a buoyant Jeremy Corbyn.

Most Conservatives are desperate to avoid a leadership contest until the Brexit negotiations have concluded in 2019, and would prefer to let Ms May finish the job - and carry the can - in the event of a poor deal with the EU.